9. The Rise of the Common Sense

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Fan – “Sir, you are great. You are a big inspiration for people like me”

Writer – “Oh Thanks. So, which book of mine do you like in particular?”

Fan –  “You are a wonderful personality. I adore you very much”

Writer – “Thank you, Thank you, which of my writings is your favorite?”

Fan – “Can there be such a talented writer as you? Impossible! I worship you!”

Writer – "Hmm... Have you read any of my books?"

Fan – "You received Jnana Peetha award, you were honored with Padma Bhushan, your glory has spread far and wide"

Writer – (to himself) “Seems to be a madcap, I better keep quiet”

What do you call such a person? A fan? Well, he seems to be a lunatic. But what if I say most of us do this all the time, if not all of us? Don’t you believe? Hmm, I guessed so…

Devotee – “Krishna you are great, I love you”

Common Sense – “Ok good. What teaching of Krishna do you like in particular?”

Devotee – “Oh Sri Krishna, Govinda, Gopala, I am your great devotee”

Common Sense – “Devotee? Then you must be knowing what Krishna taught. Have you tried to follow anything in your life?”

Devotee – “Oh Murari, Madhusudana, I surrender to you”

Common Sense – “Dear Sir, ok, I got your point. I am asking have you read anything from his teachings? At least Bhagavadgita?”

Devotee – “Oh Giridhari, Mukunda, you tamed Kaalinga, you lifted a mountain on your little finger, can there be anyone as great as you?”

Common Sense – “I better keep quiet, you seem to be deaf”

Looks familiar now? Who is this self-proclaimed devotee trying to fool? Himself or Krishna? Probably neither. He is perhaps trying to make an impression with the onlookers so that they can praise his ‘great devotion’.

But when I did this, luckily for me, my common sense rose in rage and questioned me:

“Oh self proclaimed great devotee of Sri Krishna, if you love him so much, then have you tried to know what Krishna wants to tell you? Why are you going on jabbering, not stopping to listen to his words? Why are you going on pouring water, milk, honey on him but least care for his words? How would you feel suppose your wife or son does the same to you? How would you feel if they do not listen to a single thing that you say but want to give you a bath and serve you? Is that what you want in the name of love and respect? A bath? Of course, no problem is receiving service from your wife, but if she doesn’t care for any of your words, will you be pleased with any of her service? What is primary? Listen to you or give you a bath? Will that service not become a nuisance? Similarly, perform worship, perform all the rituals, no problem, but why have you forgotten the primary and necessary thing? Your devotion and rituals are dummy until you really care to listen to him. Whether Krishna was a real person or not is not a concern at the moment. In either case, Bhagavadgita is real and is still available for you to read.”

I was taken aback. I recovered and said “I do have Bhagavadgita at home”, but only to get further bashed up by my common sense:

“Is this book meant to be kept in the altar so that it gets discolored with yellow and red water? Book is meant to be read or worshipped? If you do both, worship and read, I can accept. But only worship? Are you a crackpot?”

Now, I began seeing my stupidity. But ego doesn’t want to give up. I said “I have read a little…”

“Oh, have you now? Very good. And after that have you made at least one teaching of the Gita as your own by following it in your life?”

I had no reply and kept silent in shame.

“Wonderful. So, you think Krishna preached Bhagavadgita so that one day someone like you can mug it up and demonstrate your memory power? Or print it in a book and put red, yellow water on it? Is that what you think Krishna had in mind?”

Now I gathered all the guts left in me and put forth my final argument “It is difficult to understand, very abstract…”

“Ahhh, say that. Accept the truth. Do not try to hide your inability with dummy worship and rituals. You did not understand the Gita because you never asked me, your common sense. You were busy with your great intellectual abilities and sharp brain which you are always proud of. It only made you pompous. And when the intellect failed to understand some new concept, it did not let you honestly accept its failure. Instead, it suggested you to intelligently conceal its inability under the roof of worship and rituals. Attending classes regularly is good but not sufficient to grasp the subject, necessary thing is the zeal to learn the subject. Similarly, rituals are good but they alone are not sufficient for your growth. Mere attendance will do no good to pass the subject. Dummy faith will not survive for long. It is bound to fall. Until me, your common sense does not agree with you, you cannot carry on with it for long. And when blind faith fails, you go to the other extreme – blind disbelief. You will then conceal the failure of the intellect in the name of being scientific. ‘It doesn’t exist because I cannot prove it in the laboratory’. Great scientist of the 21st century! I do not know how many times I have to tell you – follow the middle path, strike a balance. Are there only two options always? White and Black? Either blind faith or extremely logical? No other color in between? Ask me, your common sense, who is always there but crushed mercilessly, and I shall tell you. Get rid of the fake mask of ego, and accept its failure honestly to yourself. Surrender, and then I shall rise, your common sense.”

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।

अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥४.७॥

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥४.८॥

“Whenever there is a deterioration of Dharma – balance, and whenever there is an increase in Adharma – imbalance due to inclination to extremes, I shall rise in you! To kill all that is extreme and aggressive, to protect all that is moderate and rational, and to bring a balance, I shall rise again and again - 4.7-4.8”

“Yes, Krishna is nothing but me, your common sense, who is always within you, the charioteer and guide of the otherwise confused Arjuna, Nara, Man, ego! Nara, who at one point boasts of his valor, and the next moment trembles in depression on the battlefield – always in extremes!”

And this left me dumbfounded! “You were always in me? And I was searching for you in the temples?”. Eyes were moist, hands were numb and feet were frozen. I, the ego, for the first time honestly bowed down and said, “I surrender, please guide me Krishna!”

And when I opened Bhagavadgita, the book, as if it knew what I had in my mind, opened at a page that read:

...शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ॥२.७॥

"...I am your disciple, I surrender, guide me - 2.7"